All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal launched
According to an official release, universities, colleges and other higher education institutions in the State have been directed to upload various details including student enrollment, examination results and financial information in the AISHE portal (www.aishe.gov.in).
Participation in AISHE is mandatory for accreditation, funding and scholarships.
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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Why India's new NAAC reforms might backfire
The recently proposed reforms at India's National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have been heralded as a watershed for the country's sprawling higher education system, which counts over 45,000 colleges and nearly 1,100 universities, serving more than 40 million students as per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) data (2021-22). As NAAC's well-established but often-criticised system of letter grades is poised to give way to new digital dashboards, a binary 'accredited/not accredited' classification, and a five-step maturity matrix, there is an optimistic air of modernisation. At first glance, minimising labour-intensive campus inspections with data-driven processes seems an obvious advance, promising greater objectivity and transparency. However, as the dust settles, it becomes clear that underneath these glitzy digital upgrades, the deeper flaws of Indian accreditation may well persist, if not intensify, unless reforms go beyond the surface. Historically, NAAC's grading system — A++, A+, B+, and so forth – has played a pivotal role in shaping student admissions, staff appointments and, crucially, determining the allocation of government funding. According to UGC reports, the stakes are enormous: In 2022, over 70 per cent of colleges and universities relied on NAAC accreditation to access various central and state government schemes. Even a single notch higher in NAAC ratings can yield crores in research funding, greater autonomy and a surge in student applications. Such high stakes breed perverse incentives. It isn't surprising, then, that a burgeoning industry of consultants specialising in 'Grade Optimisation' services has mushroomed, a phenomenon highlighted in a 2023 Education Ministry internal audit, which noted that nearly 60 per cent of accredited institutions had used external consultants for compliance documentation, leading to growing concerns that self-study reports have become polished brochures rather than honest reflections. The new digital reforms, intended to sanitise the process by emphasising uploaded data, audited metrics and user-friendly dashboards, risk becoming a new arena for performative excellence rather than substantive change. Data laundering can be as insidious as staging a pre-inspection campus clean-up: For example, a 2022 study by the Centre for Policy Research found that 27 per cent of colleges reported inflated faculty research publications, while over 15 per cent admitted to embellishing 'best practices' in their NAAC reports when surveyed anonymously. When the system's rewards are tightly coupled with a handful of quantifiable indicators, such as student-teacher ratios, placement records, or research output, activities inevitably turn toward massaging the numbers. Switching to a binary 'accredited/non-accredited' label or five-tier maturity scale may remove some ambiguity, but it remains susceptible to gaming, especially if monitoring and independent verification are weak. Crucially, the proposal to reduce accreditation validity from five to three years is meant, in theory, to foster a culture of continuous improvement. However, there is a risk that this change will simply triple the bureaucratic burden. Faculty in India already spend substantial time on compliance: A 2021 NAAC survey noted that, on average, preparing for accreditation consumes 8-10 months of labour per cycle, diverting attention from research and teaching. With cycles now more frequent, paper (or digital) pushing may crowd out pedagogy. If the accreditors' gaze becomes more relentless but not fundamentally more discerning, the core mission of educational excellence may recede further behind an ever-thickening curtain of compliance. The human dimension is the crux of meaningful reform, yet India has consistently underestimated its importance. The so-called 'peer reviewers' who form visiting teams are often chosen through obscure or politicised processes. Transparency International's 2022 report on higher education notes that 21 per cent of institutions surveyed believed that accreditation outcomes could be influenced by favours or hospitality, a shameful open secret. By global best practices, peer review relies on independent, trained academics scrutinising institutions with integrity and deep professional commitment. In contrast, India's system too often reduces assessment visits to rituals: Tea, tours, and testimonials, rather than rigorous, constructive critique. Digital platforms will not magically instil ethics or expertise. To fix the foundation, NAAC must invest in assembling a large, diverse, well-trained cadre of reviewers, free from conflicts of interest and subjected to robust oversight, including whistleblower mechanisms and periodic reviews themselves. The essential function of accreditation, in its healthiest form, is not policing but professional development: It should provoke introspection, highlight strengths and gaps, and enable sustained progress. The best models, such as those of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) or Singapore's Committee for Private Education, blend self-assessment with external review, encourage faculty development, and create feedback loops that genuinely improve teaching, research, and student outcomes. Unfortunately, Indian accreditation too often encourages chasing metrics rather than meaning. The Higher Education Quality Council's 2023 analysis underscored this, finding that while 93 per cent of accredited colleges improved on NAAC-mandated metrics, only 36 per cent showed convincing gains in student learning or faculty research output over five years. To be fair, digital tools can aid in streamlining data collection and improving transparency, but they are no substitute for a culture grounded in trust, integrity, and aspiration. The government's renewed efforts must reimagine NAAC not just as a gatekeeper, but as a mentor. This calls for serious investment in capacity building, radical transparency, and real accountability, for both reviewers and institutions, something dashboards alone cannot ensure. As India aims for global academic stature, accreditation reform must rest on ethics, autonomy, and ambition. Technology may impress, but only a shift in institutional culture and incentives can turn superficial compliance into meaningful change. The real test for NAAC is not how efficiently it counts colleges, but whether it can inspire them to count for more. The writer is former professor and dean, Christ University, Bengaluru
NDTV
7 days ago
- NDTV
After Rajasthan School Tragedy, Education Ministry's Safety Audit Push
New Delhi: Ministry of Education issues a safety advisory for schools taking note of the incident in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district wherein a portion of a government school building collapsed killing seven children and leaving 27 others injured. In the advisory to all Chief Secretaries of states, the ministry has called for immediate implementation of comprehensive school safety protocols. The letter underscores the critical need to prevent infrastructure failures and safety oversights that have resulted in injury and the untimely loss of young lives. Referencing the 'Guidelines on School Safety and Security' (2021) and the 'National Disaster Management Guidelines on School Safety' by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA, 2016), the circular outlines a five-point action plan designed to fortify safety infrastructure and raise preparedness levels in educational institutions. The first directive focuses on preventive safety measures mandating that all schools and public facilities used by children undergo safety audits. These audits must align with national safety codes and disaster management frameworks, specifically assessing fire safety systems, emergency exits, and the integrity of electrical wiring. The Ministry of Education talked about the issue of safety advisory for schools on (formerly known as twitter). The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all States and Union Territories to take urgent steps to ensure the student safety and well-being. This includes mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, training for staff… — Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) July 26, 2025 Secondly, the directive stresses awareness and training. It emphasizes regular training of both staff and students in emergency protocols, including evacuation drills, first aid, and safety measures. It calls for strengthened collaboration with local emergency services such as NDMA, fire departments, and medical agencies. Addressing the mental health aspect of safety, the third recommendation promotes psychosocial well-being, urging institutions to provide counselling services, peer-support networks, and community engagement to ensure emotional security alongside physical safety. As per sources in the ministry, a critical component introduced is a robust reporting mechanism. Under this, any near-miss or potentially harmful incident involving children must be reported within 24 hours to the appropriate State or UT authorities. Strict accountability would be taken in cases of delay, negligence, or failure to act. The advisory issued by the ministry also highlights public responsibility by encouraging parents, guardians, and community leaders to remain vigilant and report unsafe conditions in schools, public spaces, or student transportation. In a firm closing statement, the Ministry has urged all Education Departments, School Boards, and affiliated authorities to act "without delay" in implementing the measures. It reiterates the collective responsibility to ensure that "no child or youth is put at risk due to preventable circumstances."
News18
7 days ago
- News18
Prof Uma Kanjilal Appointed As First Woman Vice Chancellor Of IGNOU
Uma Kanjilal was previously the acting Vice Chancellor at IGNOU and had served as Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024. Professor Uma Kanjilal has been named the first female Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), four decades after its inception, as per officials from the Ministry of Education. She was previously the acting Vice Chancellor at IGNOU and had served as Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024. Prof. Kanjilal started her career as a research assistant at IIT Kanpur in 1984. After this, she worked as a cataloguer and professional assistant at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA). At IGNOU, she worked her way up from lecturer to professor. She held many positions including university librarian-in-charge, director of School of Social Sciences, director of Centre for Online Education. A professor of Library and Information Science since 2003, Kanjilal's expertise lies in e-learning, ICT in libraries, digital libraries, and multimedia courseware development, reported PTI. She is currently the National Coordinator for SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA, key digital education initiatives by the Ministry of Education. Kanjilal has held several leadership positions at the university, including Director of the Centre for Online Education (2019–2021), Director of the Inter-University Consortium for Technology Enabled Flexible Education (2016–2019), Director of the Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning (2012–2013), Director of the School of Social Sciences (2007–2010), and University Librarian (2004–2006). 'With over 36 years of distinguished service in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, Kanjilal brings a wealth of academic leadership, digital innovation, and institutional knowledge to the helm of one of the world's largest open universities," an official the news agency. Her international contributions include a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1999–2000), consultancy work for the Commonwealth of Learning, and digital education projects for UNRWA in Jordan. She has received numerous awards, including the Manthan Award for e-Education, an Australia-India Council Grant, and a DANIDA Fellowship. 'Kanjilal has been instrumental in expanding IGNOU's digital infrastructure and online education offerings. Her leadership as the Principal Investigator of the National Virtual Library of India Project and her current role as Coordinator of IGNOU's Project Management Unit under NMEICT Phase-III reflect her deep commitment to digital empowerment in education," the university said in a statement. view comments First Published: July 26, 2025, 09:57 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
